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As the government tabled a sweeping new anti-terrorism bill in Parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a strong speech in suburban Toronto, looking profoundly self-assured as he laid out the political case for the enormous change his government is making.

This year saw Canada’s police and intelligence agencies respond to what security experts say is a “new normal” — the dual threat posed by radicalized individuals seeking to do harm at home and those seeking to carry out terrorist activities abroad.

Canada’s law enforcement and intelligence communities should resist conflating religion with radicalization and avoid using terms such as “Islamist terrorism,” “Islamic extremism” and “jihad,” says a new handbook released Monday by a group of national Islamic associations aimed at countering youth radicalization and building a bridge between the Muslim community and authorities.

With reports surfacing that some westerners fighting in Syria and other conflict zones have become fed up with what they signed up for, governments are wrestling with how to deal with this disillusioned bunch if they come home.

A toy truck. A lunch pail. A woman's purse.
They may seem like innocuous objects. But during the Cold War era, they were used to conceal cameras, recorders and other gadgets used by Canadian and foreign spy agencies to uncover espionage.

OTTAWA — Sen. Hugh Segal is taking one more shot at filling a what critics say is a hole in legislative oversight of this country's intelligence agencies. On Thursday, Segal introduced what is likely to be the last bill he introduces as a member of the upper chamber that would, if passed, create a national security and intelligence oversight committee made up of senators and MPs. Segal has repeatedly lobbied publicly for the federal government to create an intelligence oversight committee — and the government has repeatedly said no.

Intelligence officials are aware of about 80 Canadians who have returned home after going overseas for “terrorist purposes,” according to speaking notes prepared for the director of the nation’s spy agency.